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Guitar Festival and Competition Finds Home in Bloomington

The Jacobs School of Music, in association with the Bloomington Classical Guitar Society, presents the first annual Indiana Guitar Festival and Competition.

Doctoral Student Errol Ozsever and Adjunct Lecturer Petar Jankovic are co-directors of the inaugural event, with artistic director and IU Professor of Guitar, Ernesto Bitetti.

A New Tradition

The festival stemmed from a desire to showcase the IU Guitar Department during its twentieth year.  This is the first time in the history of the department that such an event has been undertaken.

Jankovic predicts a pool of 15 to 30 participants on the level of international performers. "And of course we'll have guests," he adds. "We'll have several concerts on that weekend. It's an opportunity for the competitors to get to know Bloomington and the School of Music."

The rounds are free programs, each with a time limit, meaning that competitors have the opportunity to chose what they want to play. Some competitions require a specific repertoire or selections to be played, but according to Jankovic, "having a free program enables them to come with the best of what they can play."

A Rare Opportunity

For Ozsever, the festival is a great way to expose people to the world of classical guitar. "I haven't met a whole lot of people who have really listened to classical guitar music and not fallen in love with it."

The entire competition and festival is open to the public, free of charge.

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